Guest column: Vitti answers questions from readers

Tue, Apr 8, 2014 @ 4:31 pm

Note to readers: Recently the Times-Union editorial board met at Atlantic Coast High School before members of the Email Interactive Group. The special guest was Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of the Duval County Public Schools.

Vitti was in the midst of a controversy over open enrollment. He was scheduled for 30 minutes but continued to take questions for an hour in total.

The following is an edited transcript of the questions and Vitti’s answers.

TOUGH QUESTION ON TEACHERS

The year I worked as a substitute for the Duval system, I taught at 26 different schools in less than three months. During that time, I heard numerous good teachers say, “I love what I do, but I hate my job.” Why do you suppose that is?

John “Doc” Fabiano, Jacksonville

Vitti: I was a teacher. I’m still an educator. Rachel, my wife, also was a teacher. I think many teachers feel that way for many different reasons. Unfortunately, we have created scapegoats of our teachers. Instead of really talking about poverty, lack of jobs, lack of health care, we blame teachers. Unfortunately, teachers are expected to do a whole lot for little pay. There is pressure as we go through a revolutionary change in evaluations of teachers. Evaluations are 50 percent of student achievement. Pay is based on it. (And) school grades can be a scarlet letter.

All of these changes have a profound impact on the psyche of a teacher. You’re working with up to 150 kids a day. Sometimes in that classroom (there) is a manifestation of all the challenges we have in America. We have teachers who have to be guidance counselor, social worker, parent. We’re asking them to fill gaps that are immense in society. Unfair, but that’s the challenge and also the opportunity. And that negativity is a reflection of frustration of wanting to do more for kids — but being blamed for everything that kids aren’t doing.

A CALL FOR BLACK MALE TEACHERS

What programs or opportunities are being taken in DCPS to encourage more men to be teachers in classrooms? How are men of cultural backgrounds being recruited and retained in education?

William Jackson, Jacksonville

Vitti: Something that I didn’t start that I’m trying to revive is the Call Me Mister program. Along with Edward Waters College, we are identifying black males in middle school and high school to become (teachers). There are partnerships with universities and a teacher residency program. We will offer a free master’s degree, one full year of residency, then student teaching in return for a commitment of three years.

WHAT ABOUT CIVICS EDUCATION?

When I was in grade school — many years ago in New York City — the teaching of civics was stressed. How is the subject of civics taught today?

Evans Reitman Swiss, Jacksonville

Vitti: At the elementary level, kids read more magazines, more primary sources. The common core standards will require that. Next year every elementary school will have a theme, and some of these are civic-based or character-based.

We also have a great partnership with the Jacksonville Bar Association where attorneys come into our schools and teach civic lessons. We have also tried to emphasize more Socratic circles, especially in our middle schools and high schools.

At the state level, civics at the seventh-grade will be tested. In 11th grade, U.S. history will be tested.

COMPETITION FOR SCHOOLS

We are in the process of looking at schools for our daughter. We are deciding between public vs. private. Our neighbors are saying that public schools teach our children how to pass the FCAT. They are saying that no critical thinking nor analytical reasoning are developed in the public school system. Is this true?

Veronica Nabizadeh, Jacksonville

Vitti: This is the difference between perception and reality. That’s why one of the things we started this year was Discover Duval Schools. We wanted more people and parents to visit our schools. If you visit a public school anywhere in the county, you will find teachers engaging students at a high level.

All of my four children go to public schools. I’m putting them in public schools because that is where they will be most successful. I do believe that you can get a high-level education. If that weren’t the case, then why are we having so many of our kids going to Ivy League schools? That it is not just at Stanton and Paxon.

Testing has eroded some of the problem solving and critical thinking that should happen.

I have not talked about the FCAT since I started as superintendent, I have talked about teaching to the standards, more labs, more project-based learning, but it’s difficult to get there when a different way of teaching has evolved to teaching to the test.

When you go to a public school, you interact with kids who reflect our society. I don’t believe you can be a future leader in this country or anywhere in the world if you don’t know how to interact with people who are different than you socioeconomically, racially, ethnically, linguistically. The real world is much more diverse than your typical private school.